Which to use
“Schaufel” and “Schwefel” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,749
- “Schaufel” frequency rank
- #21,415
- “Schwefel” frequency rank
- 47164
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schaufel | Schwefel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Handwerkzeug mit einem flachen, gebogenen Blatt und einem Stiel, um Erde, Kies, Sand, oder Material ähnlicher Konsistenz aufnehmen zu können | chemisches Element mit der Ordnungszahl 16, das zu den Nichtmetallen gehört |
Where the eye mixes Schaufel and Schwefel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Schaufel (CCCVVCVC) and Schwefel (CCCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Schaufel with Schwefel
A purely visual mix-up. Schaufel ([ˈʃaʊ̯fl̩]) and Schwefel ([ˈʃveːfl̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47164, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schaufel is recorded at frequency rank #25,749, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯fl̩]. Schwefel is at rank #21,415, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃveːfl̩].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 47164, this pair ranks #1,293,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Schaufel vs Schwefel
Shared letters: cefhls. Private to "Schaufel": au. Private to "Schwefel": w.
"Schaufel" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC · "Schwefel" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Schaufel" and "Schwefel" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Schaufel" or "Schwefel" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schaufel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schwefel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,293,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schaufel" and "Schwefel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schauder vs Schaufel". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,293,977 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.